Men and women differ in inflammatory and neuroendocrine responses to endotoxin but not in the severity of sickness symptoms

@article{Engler2016MenAW,
title={Men and women differ in inflammatory and neuroendocrine responses to endotoxin but not in the severity of sickness symptoms},
author={Harald Engler and Sven Benson and Alexander Wegner and Ingo Spreitzer and Sigrid Elsenbruch},
journal={Brain, Behavior, and Immunity},
year={2016},
volume={52},
pages={18-26}
}

Impaired mood and increased anxiety represent core symptoms of sickness behavior that are thought to be mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, excessive inflammation seems to be implicated in the development of mood/affective disorders. Although women are known to mount stronger pro-inflammatory responses during infections and are at higher risk to develop depressive and anxiety disorders compared to men, experimental studies on sex differences in sickness symptoms are scarce. Thus… CONTINUE READING